Solar EPC for Factories in Maharashtra: DISCOM Rules, Approvals and Cost

A factory in Maharashtra planning 50 kW or more of rooftop solar usually follows one of four routes: net metering, net billing, behind-the-meter use with limited export, or captive and open-access supply for larger plants. MSEDCL supplies most of the state and MERC sets the rules. The cost band for commercial and industrial plants is ₹24,000–32,000 per kW excluding GST.

Who decides what in Maharashtra

Four bodies matter. The distribution licensee, usually MSEDCL but in parts of Mumbai and a few other areas another licensee, decides technical feasibility and signs the connection agreement. The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) sets the rooftop solar regulations and the tariff for surplus energy. The Electrical Inspectorate of the Government of Maharashtra approves the installation and permits charging where an inspection is required. The state nodal agency for renewable energy, MEDA, runs the state's renewable-energy programmes. Confirm which licensee supplies your plant before anything else, because the application portal and the circulars differ.

Nationally, the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, as amended in 2021, say that where state regulations do not provide for net metering or net billing, the commission may allow net metering for loads up to 500 kW or the sanctioned load, whichever is lower, with net billing or net feed-in for larger loads. These central rules sit above the state regulations, and the state commission's own text governs your plant.

The four routes compared

On the cap, trade-press reports from November 2023 say MERC amended its regulations to allow net metering up to 5 MW or the consumer's contract demand or sanctioned load, whichever is lower. We have not read the amended regulation, and the state has changed rooftop terms more than once since 2019, so treat the number as a lead to check, not a figure to design against. MERC's own site and MSEDCL's circulars are the authority. Our open access solar page explains the larger-plant route.

What the approval process looks like

1. Technical feasibility. You apply to the distribution licensee with a single-line diagram, load and sanctioned-demand details, and the proposed capacity. The licensee checks the local transformer and feeder, and the result decides whether you proceed and on what terms.
2. Design and procurement. Inverters and modules must meet the technical requirements the licensee and MNRE specify. The structure design has to be checked for the roof or ground.
3. Installation and inspection. Larger plants and any HT arrangement need the Electrical Inspector's approval before charging. The Inspectorate describes plan approval, inspection and permission to energise on its own site.
4. Metering and agreement. The licensee installs or certifies the meter and signs the connection or net-metering agreement.
5. Commissioning. Synchronisation takes place after approvals, with anti-islanding and protection tested.

Thresholds for which plants need the Inspector, and for which a test report from a licensed contractor suffices, are set in the state's rules and the licensee's procedure; confirm them for your capacity. If your plot is leased from an industrial authority, check whether the lease requires consent for a roof installation.

What the cost band means at three sizes

Our published band for commercial and industrial solar is ₹24,000–32,000 per kW excluding GST, covering design, supply, installation and commissioning for a conventional rooftop. Applied to three common sizes it gives a budget range, not a quote.

The ranges follow arithmetically from the band; the position within it depends on the site. The size pages explain what each includes: 100 kW, 500 kW and 1 MW. GST is added, and the rate on solar supply and works has changed in the past, so confirm the current rate when you budget. The solar calculator runs the savings on your own tariff and load. Tariffs and surplus-energy rates in Maharashtra have been revised through MERC orders, so use your latest bill and the current order, not an old figure.

Where the demand is and what to check by cluster

Industrial demand sits in MIDC estates and clusters: Pune and its Chakan and Ranjangaon belt, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Nashik, Nagpur, the Thane–Belapur belt near Mumbai, and smaller industrial towns across Western Maharashtra. Before choosing a route, check the following for your plot: the sanctioned load or contract demand, since it caps the export route; the roof's age and load capacity; whether the plot has other generation such as a DG; and the licensee's feeder capacity. A factory that already buys power through open access should check how that interacts with rooftop net metering, as the rules treat the two together.

How Secured Engineers helps

We are a pan-India solar EPC and MEPF contractor, and we mobilise to Maharashtra from our offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana. This article is a buyer's guide; it does not describe projects we have delivered in the state. What we offer is the process: design in-house, and Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering applications filed in-house, with MEPF and solar under one contract if your factory needs both. The company has completed 535+ projects across 18+ states, with 89.77% repeat clients.

To get a budget range for your roof, send your last twelve bills, sanctioned load and roof photographs. See our solar EPC service, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 70099 85817, or ask for a free proposal.